Grimnir is a land of cold and unrelenting survival; a world born from the death of another. Long ago, a cataclysm consumed a forgotten realm. In its final moments, the goddess Aldyhn opened a portal to salvation. Through this gateway fled the last of the gods, the Vanir, along with their mortal followers. They did not find peace, but they found a chance. That chance became Grimnir.

This new world is as beautiful as it is brutal. In the north lie wind-scoured islands and glacial wastes. In the south, black volcanic plains hiss and crack beneath restless skies. The heart of the world is dominated by the jagged Turnfjall mountains. These ancient, ever-growing peaks are believed to be reaching toward something beyond mortal sight. Between these extremes flows the Serpent Sea, a titanic river so vast and erratic it is said to be alive.

The settlers who followed Aldyhn were hardy and proud. They spread across the land, founding villages and forging the first clans. But their gods did not remain untouched. The Vanir were betrayed by one of their own, the sorceress Hel, who became the goddess of death and turned her divine kin into statues—an immortal Stone Court trapped in slumber. Though silent, the gods still answer prayers, and their power is needed, for the ancient enemy that destroyed the old world, the monstrous Yoten, have discovered Grimnir and now seek to invade.

The people of Grimnir are descendants of survivors. They prize strength, cunning, and tradition. Most live in coastal forts or fishing villages, organized into competing clans. The most honored among them are raiders; warriors who live fiercely, fight boldly, and seek to earn a place in the mythic Halls of the Slain. Every battle is both a path to glory and a sacred duty. Yet even the fiercest raider is also a farmer, fisher, or shipwright. Wealth comes in many forms: land, goods, trophies, and renown.

Grimnir’s clans are diverse in origin and culture. These clans war, trade, and sometimes unite, but their rivalries shape the fate of the world. Opposing the clans are the Baendur kingdoms; small, fortified realms that cling to independence. Scattered and often isolated, these kingdoms are wary of the raiders and protected by rivers, mountains, and sheer distance.